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Tuesday, June 13, 2017

A research arm from Singapore is showcasing some work done to encourage physical activity in older adults (seniors).

Using a Kinect sensor to interact with a simple ping-pong game interface, seniors can game their way to better health.

For the task of selective attention, two balls will fly out simultaneously, where only the ball of a specific colour is the target.For the inhibition task, the ball in some rounds will be of a different colour, and players are required to ignore balls of a given colour while hitting balls of other colours. The innovative data analysis tools at the back end enable healthcare professionals to easily track the health conditions of each individual elderly user under their care, and assist in crafting personalized training programs.

Monday, June 5, 2017

Although not surprising, a meta-analysis of 11 RCT studies found that playing exergames was one way to accumulate more physical activity for overweight individuals. Due to the differences in methodologies and inconsistent findings, no relationships were able to be established for patients with Type II diabetes. It does stand to reason that if you want more physical activity that can be done at home, exergaming might be one way to engage the target population and maybe others at home. What interventions need to focus on is the implementation at schools and community to be truly effective for long-lasting results or gateway to other physical activities.

ResultsOf 2845 records, 14 publications (11 studies) met the inclusion criteria. All included studies (ten experimental, cross-sectional laboratory studies and one RCT) were able to show increases in either VO2, EE, HR, or activity counts. However, effects of exergaming in terms of changes in these intensity parameters varied significantly between game modes and consoles as well as because of the vastly differing durations of exergame activity between studies. One of the included studies had a low risk of bias, and three had a high risk of bias; seven studies had an unclear risk of bias as the study description was insufficient. No studies were found investigating the changes in objectively measured PA intensity parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes.

AbstractBackgroundThe majority of patients with overweight and type 2 diabetes show insufficient levels of daily physical activity (PA) and usually are among the least likely to engage in or adhere to any form of generic PA. Active video games (exergames) may be a solution to motivate these individuals to overcome their sedentary lifestyle.ObjectivesThis systematic review was conducted to review the current evidence for the effectiveness of exergaming in overweight and type 2 diabetes mellitus and thus to evaluate the suitability of these games to be used as tools for exercise promotion that meet current PA guidelines.MethodsWe searched electronic bibliographic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, OpenGrey, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) up to March 2015. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and cross-sectional studies published in English in a peer-reviewed journal and analyzing the effects of exergames on objectively measured intensity parameters of PA in overweight (body mass index [BMI] ≥25 kg/m2) adults (mean age ≥18 years) with and without type 2 diabetes were included. Study selection, data extraction, and quality assessment were performed independently by two review authors. Primary outcomes included changes in oxygen uptake (VO2), energy expenditure (EE), heart rate (HR), or activity counts. Secondary outcomes were enjoyment of treatment, exercise adherence, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), changes in body composition, and changes in blood parameters (serum glucose, long-term blood glucose, blood cholesterol, triglycerides, or serum lactate).ResultsOf 2845 records, 14 publications (11 studies) met the inclusion criteria. All included studies (ten experimental, cross-sectional laboratory studies and one RCT) were able to show increases in either VO2, EE, HR, or activity counts. However, effects of exergaming in terms of changes in these intensity parameters varied significantly between game modes and consoles as well as because of the vastly differing durations of exergame activity between studies. One of the included studies had a low risk of bias, and three had a high risk of bias; seven studies had an unclear risk of bias as the study description was insufficient. No studies were found investigating the changes in objectively measured PA intensity parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes.ConclusionThis review suggests that exergames are able to increase PA among overweight individuals. However, the inconsistent results and the overall poor or moderate methodological quality do not permit judgment on whether exergames are suitable to meet PA guidelines in this target group. The lack of research regarding the effects of exergames in type 2 diabetes indicates a great need for future research.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

There have been some mixed results about the effectiveness of basic brain training games and their impact on cognitive function. In general, we tend to see some low to moderate gains in certain brain processes, but they tend to be short lived and typically specific to the type of testing or assessment used.

In this meta-analysis of RCT, the authors found that across the 17 included studies, exergames were found to improve executive function, attentional processing and visuospatial skills in older people and people with neurocognitive deficits.

Monday, May 22, 2017

Finnish company CSE has released their multiplatform exergame system 4Active and it was nominated at 2017 FIBO in the Fitness, Wellness & Health category.

I haven't seen much from this company but it looks like one of their systems uses an XBox Kinect to play some customized games while the other system is a multi-player dance game that doesn't have near the development or player status and feedback like iDance by Postive Gaming.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Get cycling at home but with your Zwift bike you can compete with people from all over the world.

Much like the other exergaming bikes reviewed here and here, Zwift allows for multiple platforms, group based rides, virtual simulator, all while connected to your indoor cycle trainer setup such as Wahoo, Tacx, and Kinetic.

Zwift translates your real world effort into speed in the digital one. Your power, measured by the watts you produce, propels you through the digital landscape.Just like the real world, your speed is adjusted for your height, weight and the road gradient. We even give you credit for drafting.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

I know this is really old but I forgot to post an older podcast I did back in 2013 with Ben Tyrer for his blog Gaming Fitness. Enjoy!

You wouldn’t expect to hear a fitness game researcher tell you that fitness games might not be for everyone. But Stephen Yang, an adjunct faculty at State University New York Cortland, believes that to be the case.In this exclusive interview with Ben Tyrer, Stephen explains how the most important aspect when it comes to health is identifying the needs of the individual.Of course, Stephen is a firm advocate for fitness games, but he says that the focus should be on building a plan that suits the individual’s needs, not just expecting a fitness game to work because you brought it. - Gaming Fitness